LEAKED MEMO: Inspector General of Police Orders Collaboration with Military to Halt Protests
LEAKED MEMO: Inspector General of Police, Egbetokun Orders Personnel to Work with Military to Prevent Protests from August 1-10
Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has issued a directive prohibiting all forms of protests between August 1 and 10, 2024.
This directive comes as Nigerians plan to hold nationwide #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests during this period.
Despite the Nigerian government’s stance, as expressed by Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, affirming citizens’ right to peaceful protest and denouncing violent demonstrations, a memo from police commissioners to state criminal investigation departments and other police units indicates a complete prohibition of protests in the states.
A leaked memo, obtained by SaharaReporters on Thursday, stated that the directive was issued by the Inspector General of Police through the Department of Operations in Abuja. It noted that intelligence received “reveals that some unidentified groups are mobilizing for mass protests nationwide from August 1 to 10, 2024. Find attached handbill for details of their movement.”
The memo further instructed, “The INGENPOL (Inspector General of Police) directs that you be proactive, mobilize well-kitted and equipped personnel, collaborate with other sister agencies and the military, take over all strategic points in your Areas of Responsibility (AOR), deploy undercover agents for intelligence gathering, disperse unlawful gatherings, engage in heart-to-heart conversations with community stakeholders, and ensure that no form of protest is allowed during the period.”
